As a freshman, Fairchild scored 10 of his 15 points
in Minnesota's first 15 games. |
| Index
of Profiles
|
Key Statistics: One of
the true “bright spots” in a season many
Golden Gopher fans considered subpar (Minnesota, at
19-17-9 overall, failed to crack the top half of the
WCHA standings for the first time in nearly a decade),
Fairchild was second among the team’s blueliners,
points-wise, with two goals and 13 assists in 40 games.
He was named to the WCHA’s All-Rookie team and
INCH’s Freshman All-American team.
What He Does: If you
asked Fairchild to name his favorite Clint Eastwood
movie, we’re betting he’d pick “Sudden
Impact.” That would be fitting with the way the
rookie burst onto the WCHA scene, scoring 10 points
in the Gophers’ first 15 games of the season.
Minnesota’s coaches, by necessity, had him playing
an integral role on special teams and five-on-five right
from the start, and Fairchild rewarded their faith,
giving many fans hope that he could be Dinkytown’s
next great defenseman.
The Bigger Picture: Success
has followed Fairchild seemingly everywhere he’s
found an ice sheet to work upon, in a long and winding
return journey to his home state. First, he helped Duluth
East to a berth in the legendary Minnesota State High
School Hockey Tournament as a sophomore and was named
to the all-tournament team. As a junior and senior,
he lived and played with the USNTDP in Ann Arbor, and
won gold in 2006 in Sweden with Team USA’s U-18
team. As a Gopher those hot early numbers dropped off
a bit as the season, and the effects of a holiday trip
to the Czech Republic to play for his country again
showed later in the long WCHA season. The coaches love
his vision and rave about his ability to find teammates
to feed. Now they’d like to see him shoot more,
and get more physical in Mariucci Arena’s huge
corners.
Minnesota coach Don Lucia on Fairchild:
“As a sophomore, we want to make sure that Cade
engages more and eliminates guys down low. And he has
to be one of the quarterbacks of our power play, like
he was last year.”
— Jess Myers
|
